The present invention relates generally to entertainment devices including hand-holdable entertainment devices, and more particularly to such devices that purport to predict the future and answer user""s questions.
Humans have long sought to learn what the future may hold for them. Over the millennia methods and devices for predicting the future have ranged from shaman reading the entrails of animals, to astrologers, and phrenologists. In more modern time, fortune telling has assumed a role that is more entertaining than serious.
A very popular fortune telling entertainment device is the so-called xe2x80x9cMagic Eight Ballxe2x80x9d product. This device typically is sized and shaped to look like a pool eight-ball. The device is hollow, filled with a liquid and has a transparent window at the bottom or base of the device. Within the device is a multi-surfaced float with different xe2x80x9canswersxe2x80x9d printed on the different surfaces. The number of answers is limited by the number of surfaces on the float, and is typically less than perhaps a dozen or so.
In practice, a user might ask the device a question, for example, will this application result in a patent. The user then shakes and inverts the device. Eventually the float rises and presses a surface (with an answer) against the window, which is now facing upward. The xe2x80x9canswerxe2x80x9d might be xe2x80x9cyesxe2x80x9d, or xe2x80x9cnot obviousxe2x80x9d, or some other saying.
Since the device preferably is hand-holdable, the sphere portion of the ball is typically a few inches (perhaps 5-6 cm) in diameter. This dimension more or less dictates a maximum size for the float, and thus a maximum number of float surfaces. While creating more surfaces or facets on the float can allow for more answers, the size of the font with which the answers are printed or stamped into the float surfaces decreases. This in turn makes it harder to read smaller and smaller answers from a device that tries to provide a greater number of answers. Often the type with which the answer is printed is font size 10 or so. Further, such devices can be difficult to read under the best of circumstances, especially by elderly people or others with diminished eye sight.
The different xe2x80x9canswersxe2x80x9d of course appear more or less randomly, which promotes enjoyment, especially when the xe2x80x9canswerxe2x80x9d is incongruous to the question. However, for spectators observing an individual using the device, their enjoyment will be somewhat delayed because only one person at a time can read the answer. Often the person holding the device will see the answer and, if it is not too embarrassing, will then read it aloud, whereupon the spectators can join in the fun.
However due to the relatively small number of answers, the entertainment value of such devices can soon wear off. Unfortunately there is no way to open the device and change floats to change the collection of potential answers as the device is sealed during manufacture. Another deficiency is that children used to electronic devices may become bored with such a purely passive device. Further, the liquid-filled device is relatively heavy and fragile and can break if dropped, with resultant leakage of fluid over the floor or carpet area.
In short, there is a need for an entertainment fortune predicting device that can provide longer entertainment value. Preferably such device should provide a relatively large number of responses, perhaps a hundred or more, and should provide such responses using an electronic display so that all may instantaneously share in the response. Such device should optimally provide an ability to alter the library of answers, including the ability to permit a user to input responses for display. Finally, such device should be relatively inexpensive to produce, light in weight, robust, and useable even by children and elderly persons.
The present invention provides such a device.
The invention is a fortune telling device that digitally spells out a selected answer to a question using a marque display (e.g., using segmented LED or LCD display elements), or an electronic flat panel display (e.g., an LCD screen) that optionally can also display icon-like symbols, especially useful for children. If desired, the display may be a ring of discrete LEDs that are activated one at a time, roulette-wheel fashion, with a selected one of the LEDs remaining on after the random selection. A text or icon or symbol indicia is contained on the device housing in this embodiment, with each LED corresponding to one indicia, the activated LED thus indicating the answer.
Selection may be random or at least quasi-random. If the number of potential answers is sufficiently large it can suffice to select and provide answers sequentially, or perhaps selecting and provide every second answer or every third answer, etc. and after exhausting the list of answers, returning to the start of the list but now selecting answers not selected the first time, and so forth. The term quasi-random will refer to such a selection mechanism, in which a goal is not to bore a user by selecting the same answer two or three times in immediate succession.
In the various embodiments, the device preferably is hand-holdable and provides a spherical shaped housing having a flattened base portion. Alternate housings are possible, including a figure-shape character (perhaps genie-like in appearance), a mirror, and a wall hanging. Preferably at least one sense mechanism, electronic circuitry, an electronic display, optional sound transducer and entertainment light sources, and a battery power source are disposed within the housing.
Even before a user xe2x80x9casksxe2x80x9d the device a question by shaking the device and speaking aloud, a preferably motion-type sense mechanism detects the intent to use, and commences pre-answer initiating activity, including an optional display of non-answer text and optional display of lights, preferably using LEDs. The user""s intent to use the device may be sensed with a mechanism that includes any or all of a motion unit to detect user shaking of the device, a strain unit to detect physical touching or holding of the device, a proximity detector to detect closeness of a user, a sound detector to detects a user""s approach or spoken sounds. Thus for a device that is not hand-holdable, the user can xe2x80x9caskxe2x80x9d the question, or touch the device and then ask the question. Preferably the device will seem to sense that a user expects it to provide an answer, as manifested by a pre-answer display of text and/or a visual light display and optional sounds. An optional eccentrically mounted weight is mounted to rotate within the housing as the device is moved, to promote the sensation of activity within the device.
Within the device housing, output from the sense mechanism activates electronic circuitry that optionally commences one of several pre-answer initiation-period displays (and any optional sound and optional light display). Pre-answer initiation-period displays can include electronically displayed text such as xe2x80x9cuuh, oohxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cwhat now?xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9chere we go againxe2x80x9d, or the like. Such text may be spelled out marque-fashion using several LED or LCD display elements, or may be spelled out on a panel display, which panel can also display entertaining icons and symbols. In one embodiment, a group of LEDs encircle the device perimeter, roulette wheel-like. During the pre-answer display, these LEDs may flash first clockwise, then counter-clockwise, etc. In the various embodiments, intensity of the pre-answer visual display may be changed in proportion to detected movement of the device.
Regardless of how initiation is sensed, in a preferred embodiment, a certain number of initiation activities should occur within a certain time period, e.g., three shakings of the device within say four seconds, before an answer mode is entered. Each sensed shaking (or other activity) preferably can produce a visual display.
After the last (required) initiation activity within the time period, an answer is selected for display. In one embodiment, the answer is selected randomly by a randomizer circuit from an electronic library that may include a hundred or more answers, pre-stored preferably in digital format. The randomizer circuit and electronic library are provided by the electronic circuit. If desired, the randomizer may simply select quasi-randomly, for example selecting successive answers sequentially (especially if there are a large number of potential answers), or selecting every other answer as successive answers, etc. However the selection is made, the selected answer is then displayed, for example using display elements, a display panel, or the like, for viewing by the user and any spectators in the general area.
In one embodiment, the display comprises a group of LEDs that encircle the device, roulette wheel fashion, with text and/or icon or symbol indicia on the device housing associated with each LED. During an answer selection period various of the LEDs are activated to produce an entertaining display, but once the answer is determined a single LED remains on, and its associated indicia provides the answer.
The answers need not be limited to merely xe2x80x9cyesxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cnoxe2x80x9d but can include a wide repertoire including humorous and sarcastic responses, for example text or indicia indicating xe2x80x9cOh surexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cGive me a breakxe2x80x9d. Optionally the electronics can include memory permitting the user to input for later display some or all of the answers. Such input may be accomplished using a computer whose user-provided answers are output in a text format.
If desired, a xe2x80x9ccheatxe2x80x9d switch can be activated by a user to select a random answer that may be customized, for example, between a first characteristic and a second characteristic, e.g., a male rather than a female user, or vice versa. If a true randomizer circuit is used, optionally the circuit is programmed to reject an answer that has been recently displayed. After displaying the selected answer, the battery connection is interrupted, turning off the device and preserving battery life.
Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiments have been set forth in detail, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.